The victory was the first by a series rookie given that Chris Buescher at Pocono on Aug. 1, 2016. Making his 20th series start, the 22-year-old Custer celebrated with a front stretch burnout as his team gladly went to welcome him.
DiBenedetto was 3rd, and Harvick fourth– both in Fords. Kurt Busch, the winner last year, was fifth.
Aric Almirola made his case at the start, pushing pole-sitter Kyle Busch forward from the outside and chasing in the early laps prior to taking over nine laps later on and threatening to run away from it. Almirola led 128 of the first 137 laps– almost 40 more than he has led all season.
JIMMIE JOHNSON CONFUSED BY COVID-19 TEST RESULTS
Matt Kenseths Turn 4 spin forced the final care and produced the opportunity for Custers success. He finished 25th after starting from the back with Truex as both stopped working two prerace examinations.
Cole Custer became the first novice winner in the NASCAR Cup Series in nearly four years, surging to the lead in a four-wide, final-lap scramble Sunday at Kentucky Speedway.
Kevin Harvick and Martin Truex Jr. were dueling side by side for the lead on the lap 265 final reboot when Custer– with a push from Matt DiBenedetto on the outside in the backstretch– made his move in the No. 41 Stewart-Haas Racing Ford. As the leaders bunched in Turn 1, Custer moved ahead and outlasted Truexs Toyota.
” I knew I simply had to get to the top,” said Custer, who led twice for five laps– the very first of his young career. “The leading rolled quite excellent and when I got past and I resembled in 3rd I was like, Ive just got to conjecture and do whatever I can here.
” And it wound up the 4 (Harvick) and the 19 (Truex) got together a little bit and I had the ability to take benefit of it.”
Though Custer raced to a Kentucky win last July in the Xfinity Series, he and other drivers gone into Sunday without an opportunity to certify or practice.
MORE NASCAR NEWS FROM FOX NEWS AUTOS
Ryan Blaney and DiBenedetto took their turns in front prior to Keselowski acquired it on pit roadway throughout green-flag pit cycles. That didnt last long as Truex rapidly stalked him on the last-stage reboot and took over on 181 in hopes of his third Kentucky win in 4 years. Truex opted for enjoying Custer take the win.
” The 41 (Custer) simply came with a huge head of steam and there was no chance I was going to have the ability to block that,” Truex stated. “He was simply in the ideal place at the correct time, I guess.”
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
